


A fool that's been on the run

by flightinflame



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Cinnamon Roll Newt Scamander, Credence Barebone Gets a Hug, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2019-02-12 19:00:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12966240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightinflame/pseuds/flightinflame
Summary: Newt decides to stay in New York a little longer, and is fascinated to find a large cat-like creature with near-human intelligence.Or Credence finally finds a home.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Binary_Sunset](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Binary_Sunset/gifts).



The streets were cold, snow swirling through the air. It was a beautiful place, full of magic, and Newt felt contented. This wasn't his home - his home was the case, had been since the war. But he carried his home with him like a snail, and he was able to travel. Newt had found friendship and excitement on the streets of New York, and hoped his brother would visit soon. He intended to travel on in the New Year, but with Christmas approaching he needed somewhere to stay, and this was the closest to a family he had outside of England - and his brother would soon be visiting America, so he wanted to stay here while he could. Tina and Queenie had opened their home to him, and Tina was passive-aggressively bribing all of the aurors with pastries shaped as a variety of animals.

The niffler was enjoying helping Queenie with decorating the flat. His help mainly consisted of stealing all the tinsel and forming a nest in the corner, but Queenie was amused by it. Dougal was happy with the fruit that Newt bought, and was helping with the baby occamies, and even Pickett seemed calmer. Newt was feeling a little settled. He used to worry about feeling settled, thinking it would interfere with his work, but for now he was willing to allow himself to rest. It was good to have a base while he worked on editing his book, and New York was a new place to explore.

Magical creatures might have been illegal, but that didn't mean they weren't to be found. Newt had stumbled upon any number of them, exploring the sewers - creatures that fed on the magic that seemed to just be generated in a place like this. There certainly were no dragons to be found, but there were enough creatures here for him to be entertained, and to stop him from getting bored.

He was currently walking along on his own - well, without a human beside him - because Queenie and Tina had thrown him out from their flat - they needed to do the cooking, and apparently he was getting in the way. Jacob had been allowed to stay of course, but Newt was in the way, and so were his creatures. Dougal was beside him, walking through the streets and crunching an apple.

As it was getting dark, Newt decided against heading into the sewers. He would just take a walk outside, and see whether New York continued to be interesting. His wand, tucked in his sleeve, pointed at the snow at his side as he vanished every footstep that appeared from Dougal. Dougal's hand was wrapped around his own, so that they didn't lose each other - he'd already had one animal hunt through New York, he didn't need another one.

"We'd best go home soon Dougal," Newt murmured. "I'm sure that we can help with eating the food at least."   
Dougal chirruped his approval, walking along with him.   
"I'm sure Queenie will have done more of those apple swans you like." Newt encouraged.

Dougal tugged on his hand suddenly, pausing and pulling away from him. Newt tended to listen when Dougal said that they should go somewhere - he was the one who could see into the future.  
"Something interesting this way?" he asked Dougal, who chirruped his reply. 

Dougal led him quickly through the streets, hurrying along through the alleyways. New York was a maze, but Dougal clearly knew where they were going. Newt let the demiguise pull him along.

Eventually, in the shadow of the Woolworth building, Dougal stopped. Newt looked around, but he could see nothing of interest.  
"What is it boy?"  
Dougal tugged on his arm, and led him closer to the building. Newt crouched down.

There were vents against the bottom of the building, channelling out hot air from the floors below, and here at least there was a break from the snow. Inside one of the vents, something dark was huddled.  
"Hey..." Newt spoke gently. "Come out, it's okay...." He coaxed the creature forwards, able to sense the magic pouring from the creature. It stepped forwards, cowering a little, and Newt hissed slightly at what he saw.

The beast was feline, a living shadow, about the size of the younger graphorn - it reached about Newt's knee height. The creature was male, with ragged oversized ears and pale blue eyes. Its teeth were sharp, and it had claws on each paw. Newt frowned slightly, hand digging in his pocket to find some bacon. He pulled it out and placed it on the ground before the creature. The creature looked uncertain but he moved forwards to take a bite of the food, chewing on the bacon, then backing away into the shelter he had found, his tail and head down. His ribs were visible, and there was nasty scarring across the creature's hide. Whatever this was, it was clear that he had been hurt before, and that he was afraid now.

"Hey..." Newt continued. "It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you. If you come with me, I’ll get you some more food..." He spoke gently, knowing the beast couldn't understand him. He could only hope his voice would soothe him. "You don't need to be afraid of me, I promise you that. I'm going to take care of you." The creature snarled softly. It wasn't a threat, Newt could recognise that. He'd seen enough injured creatures to be able to tell the difference between a threat and a warning, and this was certainly the latter - this was the creature trying to protect himself, rather than to hurt him.  
"You don't need to worry," Newt continued. "I take care of all kinds of creatures. You won't be hurt. I promise... You poor thing...."

The creature moved forwards, his actions laden with fear. It was obvious that any sudden movement would startle him. Dougal slowly faded into visibility, chirruping up at the creature. Newt didn't know what was being said, but he was relieved as the creature continued towards him. Newt reached out, his fingers tracing over the soft ears of the creature, trying to assess him. The magic within this beast was clear - but he had no idea what it was. He was a creature completely different from those that he had met before. He was a new creature - one from America perhaps. He wanted to study him, but he wanted to protect him even more than that. He wanted to keep him safe. Newt hated how cruel the world could be to things that weren't understood well, and he was determined to protect him. Someone had to.

Dougal reached out to rub the creature behind the ears, and the creature made a soft noise. He was purring. Newt leaned in for another look.  
"Come with me... I'll make you an enclosure, and get you some more food..."  
The creature slowly inclined his head, and Newt brushed his fingers down the creature's spine.   
"You're safe now."  
The beast twisted, to lick against Newt's hand. Newt smiled and opened up his case.  
"Come on, it's safe here." Newt coaxed the creature, and after a moment's hesitation he jumped down. Newt paused and looked at Dougal.  
"I won't be long. You supervise the case."  
Dougal chirruped, and Newt clambered down to find that the creature was hiding beneath his desk.

"You're a shy one..." Newt mumbled, reaching out to offer the beast his hand. He licked Newt's fingers again.  
"Come on, let's find you a nice environment... I don't know where you belong, but I'm guessing it's not the streets of New York... come into the case proper, and let me show you what I've got... now, I can't actually put you in with anyone else until I'm sure that you aren't going to eat them, but if you can show me where you're most comfortable I'll make you your own space. Does that sound alright?"

The beast licked his hand, and Newt paused.   
"You need a name... how about Shadow? At least until I find out what you are."  
The creature purred its approval, and Newt rewarded him with another chunk of meat. Shadow devoured the meat hungrily, his body hunched across the meat to stop anyone from stealing it from him. Newt's heart ached at the thought of what must have happened, to hurt the creature so badly. He led Shadow into the case once he had eaten.

Shadow paused in the doorway, his head tilted to one side and ears perking up. In a flash, he bounded forwards, running between the different spaces. The other creatures dodged out of the way. Newt watched him curiously. This beast was clearly intelligent - Shadow's excitement was only matched with Dougal's. Most creatures were more interested in what felt like home, and only humans and the like were actually interested in the variety. Still, Shadow continued to bound around the place, his tail twitching. He would pause to watch a creature, then move on.

Newt whistled, and Shadow paused then raced back to him cowering.  
"Hey... it's okay, you didn't do anything wrong Shadow... I can introduce you to everyone if you'd like, just promise not to bite them. We don't eat our friends here, alright?" He reached down to scritch behind Shadow's ears, and the beast butted his head against Newt's leg, almost tripping him. "Now, what kind of place would you like to sleep?" Newt asked, showing the beast around his case. He talked to him softly. The creature paused outside the mooncalf enclosure. 

Newt considered, unsure if it was the darkness that appealed to him, or the greenery. He would have to test it out, but for now that would at least be somewhere to begin.  
"Let's make you a home..." he suggested, leading Shadow to where Frank had lived until recently. He still hoped that Frank might return to visit, but Shadow needed somewhere for now, and Frank's enclosure was one of the most secure. He quickly changed the weather from sunshine to night, a clear sky with a moon hanging above it. Shadow walked inside, his muzzle pressing against the sand.  
"Here..." Newt murmured, using his magic to transform the sand to grass, but leaving the rock in the middle - the nundu liked having a stone pillar to perch on and survey her kingdom, so he thought Shadow might feel the same. Shadow explored his enclosure curiously, then returned to Newt, his head tilted to one side.  
"This is your home for now," Newt told him gently. "For as long as you need, you can stay with me. "I want to work out what you are, but I won't hurt you, I promise. You're safe. I have to get us home now, but I'll be back" He patted Shadow on the head and then walked away, sealing him in the case. He hoped that it would work out. 

Emerging from the suitcase, he was faced with Dougal hissing at him, chirruping angrily.   
"Sorry I took so long," Newt apologised. "Shadow was excited. In you get." Dougal jumped into the case. Newt got the feeling that he was going to be buying a lot of fresh fruit over the next few days in an attempt to apologise. He hurried home, to a room that was filled with the scent of cooking. Queenie's eyes widened as soon as she saw him.  
"A magical creature?" she asked, and Newt cringed.

"What have you done this time?" Tina asked. Newt considered it a success that she no longer reached for her wand the second he arrived with a new animal in tow. It was a sign that she was getting used to him.  
"I removed a probably dangerous creature from the streets of New York,." Newt answered, patting his case.  
"What is it?" Tina asked.  
"He doesn't know," Queenie murmured. "It's something new."

Newt shot her a glare but nodded.  
"No idea what it is yet. But I'll find out. Just give me a few days... food smells amazing."  
"Go and play," Queenie said gently. "I can tell you want to. We'll knock when we've finished."

Newt nodded, and clambered back into the case, hearing the others talking above him.


	2. Chapter 2

Credence was twelve years old today. He had spent his day praying to try and please his mother, to care for the children. He had been sent to bed without food, in clothes that he was rapidly growing out of. He couldn't help hoping that one day he would be able to stand up to his mother. But he wasn't there yet. His shoulders ached from a beating she had given him two days ago after being rude, and he hadn't eaten since. He was used to her withholding food when he was bad. It happened at least once every couple of months, when he'd make a mistake and find that he had to go to bed hungry for a week or so, possibly being given scraps by Chastity and sometimes lacking even that. It was hard, but he was wrong and it was what he deserved.

He should sleep. He knew that he should be good, but he was so hungry. His hunger gnawed inside of him, and he was afraid of disappointing Ma. She would know if he misbehaved. But he couldn't help it. He was a sinner. It came naturally to him, darkness swirled inside. He couldn't rest, not without eating. He slipped away from the house, pain striking him as he stepped onto the ground. He ignored the pain. There was a bakery not far from here, and he knew from listening to the children that there was often food to be found in the waste. He was aware, for a moment, that something was very wrong, but he pushed that knowledge aside. What mattered for now was that he ate. Nothing else was important. He needed to eat, and he could do that here if he was careful.

He reached the bakery, and found their dumpster. He pulled off the lid, and glanced inside. There was a roll lying among the trash. The surface was dirty and speckled with mould, but he thought he could probably tear it open and find at least some food, enough to ease the hunger inside of him. He managed to fish it out, and tore into the bread. It tasted dirty in his mouth, but it was edible, and it helped quiet the gnawing inside of him. He looked through the waste, knowing he would need to clean himself before he returned home. There were a few other scraps. He felt guilty for eating when there would be other people who needed to eat, but he was hungry. He found a ham sandwich, and devoured it. He was sure something was wrong, but he didn't know what. He could smell the food now, bread that was hidden deeper among the other rubbish, and he pulled it out, his hunger finally abating. He tore at the food with his teeth, and the sense of wrongness intensified. He couldn't tell what was wrong, only that something was. Something was very wrong indeed, and he didn't know how to fix it. He dug deeper through the trash, filling himself, and as he did so the world around him became less clear. He ignored that confusion. What mattered was that he ate.

He opened his eyes, to feel a pain in his stomach. He was aware, first of all, that he was naked in the cellar. There was pain running through him. He looked down, to try and find the cause of it, and saw that fresh cuts littered his ribs. His arms were scraped, as though claws had been dragged along them. He cowered in the corner of the cellar, feeling for the pebble he had left down here last time. He'd used the pebble since he was a little child, something to hold on to when he was alone in the dark and the cold. He told himself it was his lucky pebble, that while he was gripping it no harm could come to him. He knew in his heart that that wasn't true. But today he needed to believe in it, so he did. The pebble was there, a solid lump in his hand, and he curled up. His body was shaking, and he knew that Ma would be furious when she came to release him. He didn't understand what had happened, how she had found him. He remembered eating, and then nothing more.

He couldn't track time in the cellar, aside from the occasional toll of the bells outside. He still felt hungry, hungrier even than he had the previous night, and the autumn chilled the air of the cellar. He waited. Ma would come when she thought he had had long enough to think on his sins. She always did.

When the door opened he felt relief. His Ma looked down on him with disgust, before throwing some clothes down to him.  
"Dress," she ordered. He obeyed quickly, not wanting to anger her more. His fingers shook as he fastened the belt around his waist. He wondered why she had given it to him, when she would demand it back in a moment, but he knew it wasn't his place to question her.  
"I... I'm sorry…" he began to apologise, knowing that he had no excuse for her finding him outside of the house. "I ... I didn't ... I didn't mean to Ma, I know I shouldn't-"  
"Silence," she stared at him, and his fingers reached to unfasten the belt, holding it out towards her. She walked down the stairs, taking it from him. He knelt before her as though in prayer, and offered his hands up towards her.   
"You are a sinful boy Credence. The child of a wicked and unnatural woman. I have shown you such kindness, and you repay me like this-"  
He was cringing before the first blow fell.

***

That night, he lay awake in his bed, thoughts racing. He still couldn't understand what had happened, and his hands felt like they were on fire. He would have to go and hand out leaflets tomorrow. He shivered, the wind whistling through the gaps in the walls. He would have to wear gloves tomorrow so that he didn't bleed on the leaflets. Ma would be angry if he ruined them.   
The door to his room opened, and he caught sight of Chastity. She stood in the doorway, hesitating for a moment before walking in and sitting on his bed, reaching to stroke his hair.  
"Ma said you tried to run away."  
"I didn't," he told her softly. "I'd never leave you..."

She nodded, and there was sadness in her eyes. He sat up, so that he could wrap his arms around her. She cuddled up into his side, and he hugged her despite the pain he could feel piercing his hands at the pressure of the contact.  
"Ma's really angry," Chastity murmured. Credence paused.  
"Did she hurt you?"  
"No," Chastity reassured him. "Not today. I think she took it all out of you." He nodded, embracing her for a moment longer before she had to slip away. Ma would be furious if she caught them together. It was a risk that they couldn't take.

***

The next time Ma decided he hadn't deserved food, she locked him in the cellar so that he couldn't run away. He spent his days in the dark, waiting for her return, having nothing but his pebble to distract him from the hunger that gnawed inside of him. He lost track of time, not knowing how long he was there, waiting to earn his Ma's forgiveness. When she released him, it was to further pain.

From then on, every time he went without food he was locked in the darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

Shadow was a very intelligent beast, and seemed to like Newt's attention. While Newt made notes, he would pace around in front of him, and was willing to open his mouth when ordered so that Newt could examine his teeth. He was teaching Shadow to remain calm as he placed healing poultices on the scars, and the injuries were fading every day. 

"Hello there Shadow," Newt greeted him, holding out some meat. He trusted that Shadow wouldn't bite him, after the progress that had been made over the last few weeks. The new year had come and gone, and his brother was in America now. He'd shown Theseus the case as a whole, but this was the first time he introduced him to his latest acquisition. Shadow prowled forwards.  
"I'm not quite sure what he is," he explained to Theseus. "But I suspect he's magically created - he understands human speech, which doesn't happen with non-created creatures... He's an absolute sweetie really, but I'm sure he could be trained to attack. So I thought you might know..." Theseus's knowledge of dark magic could sometimes come in useful when there were new creatures to discuss, and Newt suspected that Shadow might be one of those times. "He's put on a lot of weight the past few weeks, which is good. He's not violent, are you?" he asked, brushing his fingers over Shadow's ears. Shadow licked his hand again, then saw Theseus and tried to hide behind Newt. 

Newt wasn't surprised - Shadow was scared of new people. He'd taken a particular dislike to Tina, refusing to come out from behind his rock the entire time that she was standing there. Queenie meanwhile didn't seem to like Shadow - she had come close to him once, but since then had refused. Newt suspected she was able to read more from him than she was willing to admit. He glanced over at Theseus.  
"Well, do you know what he is?"  
Theseus hesitated, then nodded.  
"Has he harmed you at all?"  
"Never," Newt answered. "He's been badly hurt before, so to start with... it took time to earn his trust. But he trusts me now."

Theseus nodded, and paused.  
"May I speak with him?"  
"Anything you have to say you can say with me here," Newt answered. "He doesn't like new people, and I refuse to betray his trust."  
Theseus considered for a moment and then nodded his acceptance.  
"Alright." He turned to Shadow, crouching down so they were eye to eye. "You can stay here with Newt for as long as you need, and he won't harm you. But if you ever hurt him, I will find a way to make you pay."

Shadow moved forwards, nuzzling against Theseus's hand, and Newt laughed a little.  
"I don't think he's much of a threat."  
Theseus shook his head, a fond smile threatening on his lips.   
"I don't either. Just let me know if you need any help with him. I promised Perce that I'd look over some files later, so I'd best-" He jerked his head towards the shed which led out of the case.  
"You go. I won't be too long," Newt promised. Theseus embraced him then headed out, and Newt stayed sat with Shadow on his lap, watching his brother retreat. "It's strange he won't tell me what you are..." Newt murmured, brushing his fingers through dark fur. "But it doesn't matter. You want to help me feed the others?"   
Shadow nodded, and Newt led him around the case. Shadow picked up a bucket, the handle between his teeth, and walked over to Newt. Newt chuckled, filling the bucket with pellets of food for the mooncalves, and Shadow raced off towards their enclosure. Newt laughed and walked after him, and Dougal soon joined them.

***

The next day, when Newt headed into the case, he could feel that there was something wrong. Dougal raced straight to his side, clinging to his leg. He reached down to pat the demiguise, drawing his wand. His first concern was the hatchling diricrawls, but they were safely tucked up in their nest, half-buried by the down that their parents had left for them. He checked the bowtruckles, the niffler, and the occamy. Everyone was where they should be. The graphorns and the erumpent clearly hadn't escaped, the marmite was lazing in her favourite warm spot, and the grindylows were floating around the case. 

His heart felt heavy as he moved towards Shadow's enclosure. He wasn't sure what it was that worried him, only that he was certain he wouldn't like what he found.  
"Shadow?" he called out. "Shadow?"

At first glance, Shadow's space looked deserted, the rock that the beast slept on empty. He checked the wards that wrapped around this particular space - nothing had left.   
"Shadow, I'm coming in now..." he called out, hoping the beast would appear, but there was nothing. He held his wand out as he walked forwards, ready to cast a defensive charm if he had to. He didn't want to hurt Shadow, but he was used to Shadow either meeting him at the boundary of his case or posing on top of the rock. Hiding wasn't at all like him.  
"Shadow..." he called again. "Where are you hiding?" He wondered if the creature had somehow come to harm. "Shadow?"

He heard a soft noise from by the rock, a slight whimper. He raced forwards, wondering what would have happened had Shadow slipped from his rock. He braced himself to find Shadow injured, imagining him with a broken leg or even a broken back - he had helped injured creatures recover before.

He hadn't expected what he found. A pale figure was laying beside the stone, curled up against it and shivering. He was completely naked.  
"Hello?" Newt asked, his wand drawn. The young man twisted, looking over his shoulder, and Newt froze as he saw Shadow's eyes staring up at him. He gasped. "Shadow? Is that you?"

The man nodded, shivering a little. Newt summoned a blanket, and laid it gently over the young man's form.   
"Hey there Shadow..." Newt said softly, trying to help him feel calm. "You don't need to be afraid."  
"I'm sorry," Shadow whispered. "I can't turn back." 

"It's okay..." Newt reached into a pocket, searching for something that would be edible for a human. There was raw meat, and crickets, and dried worms, and leaves. He found an apple and held it out, and the man reached for it, shuddering. The way he tried to curl up around the food was the same as Shadow had done, and Newt paused.  
"You ... you look familiar..." He considered, then gasped. "Credence?" he whispered. He remembered the younger man. "We thought that you had died..."  
Credence shook his head, looking down as he ate the apple, not hesitating to crunch through the core.

"What are you doing here Credence?" Newt asked, trying to make sense of what he had seen. Queenie must have known - that was why she wasn't willing to come near. Theseus knew as well, But this was different. He hadn't known of this kind of situation with the obscurial he had met in Sudan. "How... how long has this been happening?"  
"I don't know," Credence whispered. "Ma used to starve me... and I think that... that helped. It stopped it, and ... I'm sorry..." He was cringing, and Newt could see the darkness of the obscurus beginning to smoke across his skin. 

"It isn't your fault Credence. You can't control it..."  
"I can," Credence whispered. "Normally, I... I didn't stay like that for long. It had happened before, I didn't understand, but I knew... I knew I could stop it. And I could have stopped it at any time, I just..." He started to cry, and Newt reached out to embrace him. Newt guided him into his arms, and Credence rested his head on Newt's shoulder, beginning to sob. Newt kissed his forehead tenderly.  
"It isn't your fault Credence, and you did nothing wrong."  
"You were just... you were so nice," Credence whispered "It felt... I was safe, and I'd never.... I'd never felt that safe before. I wasn't afraid, not with you, and I just wanted it to go on forever..."  
Newt rubbed Credence's shoulders, trying to soothe him.   
"It's alright," he murmured. "You can stay here..."

"If you want, I can..." Credence hesitated. "You treated me better when…... when I was that thing, than anyone ever treated me when I was a human."  
"I don't mind," Newt said after a moment. He wasn't going to insist that Credence remained human, or that he changed back. "I want you to be comfortable. You can stay here, either way. But if you're willing, it'd be good for you to see Tina. I know she still blames herself for your death..."

Credence hesitated, and for a moment Newt expected him to refuse. Instead he nodded, nuzzling against Newt's shoulder.

***  
Technically, Credence celebrated his twenty fourth birthday in Paris, but he couldn't remember that. He was staying in Newt's case, in the space that had been set up for him - Shadow's enclosure was still the same, but there was also a hammock there, for if he regained his human form whilst there. He didn't just stay in his enclosure though. He had full run of the case in Shadow's form, and when they were among friends he could move among them as the creature.

He found it soothing to be Shadow sometimes. He was always treated with respect by Newt, whichever shape he took, and he was able to relax. Things felt simpler through Shadow's eyes - his needs were satisfied, and Newt was kind. There was little more to worry about. As a human, he remembered more about what had come before, but he was learning to accept that part of himself as well. 

As a human, he had free run of the case and the house, and he had Newt's company. He would sometimes join him in bed, and other times lay so that his head was in Newt's lap, so that Newt would stroke his hair and soothe him. It was a truly wonderful sensation, to be held so close and know that he was safe.

The morning of his twenty fourth, he woke beside Newt, on the couch that he had transfigured for this very purpose. He had a soft blanket laying across him, and he leaned to nuzzle his face against Newt's chest. Newt's fingers stroked through his hair, reassuring him softly that everything was alright.

"You hungry?" Newt asked, waving his wand and calling over a selection of cakes. Credence bit down a smile as he reached for one of the cakes, before he began to eat. He still wasn't used to how sweet food was, how filling and fresh it was, how he could relish every moment of eating it and know that none of the food he was offered would be snatched away. 

He still wasn't quite sure what he was. Newt had been doing research, but there was a lack of clarity - no one knew if creatures like him were cursed humans or worse, cursed animals. He knew now that Ma had known what he was, that she had chosen to starve him to ensure he wouldn't know that he had changed. It had been one more way for her to control him.

He picked a cherry off the top of his cake, holding it out towards Dougal who was more than happy to assist in the eating of food, then twisted to kiss Newt. Newt stroked his hair for a moment and smiled.   
"Happy Birthday."  
"It is," Credence agreed with a faint smile. He didn't think that he had ever had a day this amazing before, and he would relish every second of it.


End file.
